Movement-controlling device



'Feb. 19', 1924.

. 1,484,213 P. R; FINCH v MOVEMENT CONTROLLING DEVICE Fil d J ly 24. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //v VEN Tom R, R; Fur-qr:

' P. R, FINCH MOVEMENT CONTROLLING DEVIGE Filed July 24. 1922 2 Sheet$heet z Feb. 19, 1924.

Patented F eb. 19, 1924. v

1,484,213 OFFICE.

PA'I J'L R. FINCH, OF DE MDINES IOWA.

- 'movnn'r-oon'rnonnme n'nvron Application filed July 24, 1922. Serial m.'577,oo2.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL R. FINGH, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa,

5 have invented a new and useful Movement- Controlling Device, of which the following is a specification. F

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for controlling and retarding' the movement of swinging objects, such as doors, shifting levers of motor vehicles, shifting cables of elevators, and the like.

A further object of this invention is to provide animproved mechanism for con- 5 trolling the movement of objects by the resistan ce afforded by a liquid contained within an enclosure.

A further object of this invention is to rovide means for adjusting the retarding influence of theliquid by selective control of the passa es provided therefor.

A further object of this invention is to provide a movement controlling device which will permit rapid movement of anobject through certain arcs and retarded movement through other arcs of travel.

With-theseand other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan viewv showing one form of my device attached to and 'ada ted to control the movement of a hinge door. Figure 2 is a sideelevation of the device detached, a portion of the bowl being broken away to reveal interior. construction. Fig-' ure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 4-is a plan view showinga different manner of mounting the device, to control the movement of a door adapted to swing in either direction from its nrmal'closed position. I

Figures 5 and 6 are plan views showing modified forms of the bowl. v Figure"? is a plan view illustrating one form of the device mounted in such 1113111161 as to control the movement of a shiftinglever ofa motor vehicle.

4 In the construction of the device as shown, the numeral 10 designates a plate, preferably.

formed with two margins 'mtersectmg at an angle and provided with upturned flanges 11, 12 apertured to receive screws 13 by Y which the device may be attached toan obect. In Figure 1 the device is illustrated as attached to a door 14 connected by hinges 15 (one of which is shown) to a door casing 16, and the plate 10 may be secured to said door, or to other objects, by selective attachment of either of the flanges 11, 12, dependent upon the direction the door is adapt ed to swing in its frame. A bowl 17 of gen- .erally circular form, is formed on. or fixed rigidly to and depends from the plate 10. A casing.1 8, which also may be generally circular in plan, is fixed to and rises above the plate 10, said casing and bowl communicating, if desired, through-a slot such as 19, or other opening .or openings in the plate 10. A shaft 20 is journaled in and centrally of the bowl 17 and casing 18, extending through a packing nut 21in the top of the latter member. A lever '22 is fixed at one end to. the projectingend of the shaft 20, and a link 23 is pivotally secured at one end to p the free end of said lever. The opposite end of the link 23, is adapted for pivotal connecany suitable manner, to the projecting end of the shaft 20 and has its opposite end attached to the casing 18, plate 10, or some otherrelatively rigid portion of the device. In this instance a plate 27 is provided, attached to the casing'1-8, and formed with a plurality of notches 28to receive selectively vengagement of the spring 26, whereby the tension of'saidspringmaybe regulated and adjusted. It is the tendencyv andfunction of the spring 26 'to" apply pressure in such manner as to closev the door 14 inits frame, I or to move any other movable object to which the device is attached, to its normal position of rest. For a door hinged on the opposite side to that shown in Figure 1, the attachment of plate 10 would be by means of the other flange, 12, and a spring wound in the opposite direction wouldjbe employed. The

action of the spring in either event is resisted and movement of the door checked and retarded by means about to be described.-

Within the bowl 17 a wing or paddle 29 is fixed to' the shaft 20 and extends substantially radially of the said bowl, having greater or less closeness of contact with the bottom and sidewall of said bowl, and the plate 10, as required for particular uses. The bowl 1.7 is provided with a substantially radial partition 30,-which in this instance is formed, for convenience, as a sector in the side wall of the bowl. A quantity of suitable liquid such as oil is placed within the bowl 1? and movement of the shaft and parts connected therewithis resisted by such liquid, which may pass in a restricted movement from one side to the other of the wing or paddle 29, or more freely in other directions as hereinafter set forth. Thus closing movement of the door is checked and retarded against the action of the spring 26. In the event the slot 19 (Figure 3) is employed, affording communication between the bowl 17 and casing 18, it is oh- 4 vious that liquid may pass morefreely, and

will offer less resistance to the wing or paddle 29 while traversing the arc subtended by said slot, so that the movement of the door 14 may be more rapid throughout certain arcs and then restricted materially throughout other arcs, as for instance just prior to reaching closed position, thus pre venting slamming of the door. It is obvious that selective arrangement of communication between the bowl 17 and casing 18 may be employed, or may be omitted entirely for some uses. In Figure 5 I have shown a form of bowl 17 which is employed without a slotted or apertured plate but is formed in its bottom with an arcuate groove 31 over which the wing or paddle 29 passes throughout a portion of its movement, said groove permitting more rapid passage of, and hence less resistance by, the liquid throughout a certain portion or arc of movement of the wing or paddle. Cooperating with the groove 31 may be an enlargement of the inner diameter of the side wall of the bowl 17, as indicated at 32, permitting passage of liquid more freely past the free end of the wing or paddle, In Figure (3 is shown a further modified form of bowl 17" having spaced arcuate grooves 31, 31 arranged near the limits of travel of the wing or paddle, and also cooperating enlargement of diameter of the bowl, as at 32', 32. The location, number and length of the slots '19, gropves 31, 31', 31" and the parts 32, 32, 32" may be varied at will to suit the need in particular instances and the desired restriction and retardation of the paddle, throughout certain arcs.-

It will be noted that where such openingsvor slots between the two chambers are employed, in a movement as of opening the door a partial vacuum is caused in the bowl 17 between the partition 30 and moving wing or paddle 29 as the space between them is enlarged, which would not be a great resistance to such movement, and the casing 18 being partially filled with air and containing some of the liquid, the forcing of a small amount more of the liquid through the opening, such as 19, will compress the air in casing 18 only slightly, which likewise would not offer great resistance to the opening movement. It will also be seen that when the wing or paddle 29 reaches a position where the opening 19 vent-s into that portion of the bowl behind the wing or paddle, or that part containing the partial vacuum, the said vacuum and air pressure above referred to will cooperate to draw andforce the amount of liquid displaced back into thespace between the paddle and for some purposes be satisfactory without the opening 19, as it may then be made to control movements in either direction throughout difi'erent arcs to be described by the, lever 22. For such purpose the device is illustrated in Figure 4 as applied to a door such as 14: adapted to swing in either direction through an opening. In this instance the plate 10 and members carried thereby is mounted on the door frame or casing 16', while the bracket 24 is carried by the door. The device may also be employed in a similar manner for controlling an elevator shifting cable and many other mechanical devices.

. Another of these uses is illustrated in F i ure 7 in which the relatively immovable ob ect is the foot board 34, or similar member, of a motor vehicle, and the. movable member to be controlled is a foot pedal 35 connected through a rock shaft 36 to the clutch of the transmission mechanism of the vehicle. The plate 10, with members carried thereby, is mounted on the foot board 34, with the .lever 22 extending toward the pedal 35 and flexibly connected thereto by a link 23. In this instance the link 23' is provided with a turnbuckle 37 whereby the effective length of the link may be adjusted. In a manner similar to that heretofore described, the device controls and retards the movement of the clutch controlling pedal, so that a careless or ineiiicient driver cannot allow the clutch'to engage too quickly by sudden release of pressure on the pedal 35, the device being adapted to retard return movement of said lever or pedal just prior to engagement of the clutch.

The uses illustrated and described are illustrative ofmany to which my invention may be applied, the movements of the lever 22 being controlled if mounted either on a moving or a stationa object and having connection to another 0 ject for the purpose of controlling the movements of either or both of the objects. Where no initiative movement is required no spring is necessary, as illustrated-in Figure 4 where the swinging door is provided with means afl'ording the impulse to return it to its normal position.

I' claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a fixed and a movable'o'bject, ofa receptacle adapted-to be fixed rigidly to one of said objects, a shaft journaled in said receptacle, a lever fixed to said shaft, a link flexibly connectin said lever to the otherof said objects, sai rece acle being provided with a transverse partition, a wing or paddle on said shaft within said receptacle and movable to approach or retreat from either side of said partition, said receptacle adapted to conta n a liquid oflering resistance to movement of said addle relative to said partition.

2. e combination with a fixed and a movable object, of a receptacle adapted to be fixed rigidl to one of said objects, a shaft journale in said rece tacle, a lever fixed to said shaft, a link flexibly connectin said lever to the other of said objects, sai

receptacle being formed with a radial partition, a wing on said shaft extending radially of said receptacle and movable to a proach or retreat from either side of said partition, said receptacle adapted to contain a liquid oflering resistance to movement of said paddle relative to said partition, said receptacle being provided with openings for more rapid escape of said liguid throughout certain arcs of movement 0 said-wing.

3. A movement controllingdevice, comprising a chamber, a member adapted for rocking movement therein, said chamber adapted to contain a 1i uid directly resisting certain movements 0 said rocking member, and means whereby such resistance may be'transmitted to one or more objects for controlling certain movements. thereof, said chamber adapted to be mounted on one of said objects in selected position whereby such resistance is created selectively in either direction of movement of another object.

4. A movement controlling device, com-' prising a receptacle adapted to be attached to an object, said receptacle formed with a circular chamber a apted to contain a liquid, said chamber being formed with a partition;

arcs sai sin le substantially radial partition, a roc ing member suitably journaled in said receptacle and extending outside the same,

means for flexibly connecting said rocking member to another object, movement of said rocking member relative to either side of said partition being controlled by resistance afforded by the liquid within said chamber,

whereby movement of one of said objects-- relative to the other is controlled.

5. A movement controlling device, comprising two receptaclesmounted in contigu- 1 receptacle and movable relative to said partition, said receptacle adapted to con- $3111 a liquid offering resistance to the movement of said rocking member, and anopening from the first to the second receptacle for relatively free passage of liquid during certain arcs of movement of said rocking member, whereby movement of said rocking member is resisted throughout certain arcs to a greater degree'than a reverse movement through the same arc, together with a valve-controlled passage through said 6. A m'ovement controlling-device, comprising a-chamber of circular form provided with a single substantially radial partition,

a rocking member journaled in said chamher and having an imperforate radial wingw adapted for movement relative to said par- -the chamber into two.

tition and dividi parts of variable size, a liquid being contained within said chamber and adapted for restricted passage about said wing from one part to the other of. said chamber, said chamber being 'provided with' means for more free passage of said liquid about said ring throughout certain arcs of movement of said wing thus producing a differential resistance to movement of said wing, and means whereby said resistance may be transmitted to one or more objects to control movements thereof.

7 A movement controlling device comprisingla chamber of substantially circular form an provided with a substantially radial partition, a rocking member in said chamber formed with a wing extending substantially radially of the chamber, a li aid in said chamber adapted to offer di erential re-v sistance to movement of the wing on said rocking member, said chamber also being formed throughout certain arcs with enlargements permitting more free passage of said li uid, whereby throughout certain enlar meiits permit venting past the wing of said rocking member sufliciently to set up a greater pressure on one side of said wing than on the other, and means for transmitting such resistance to one or more' objects to control the movements thereof 7 8; A movement controlling device, comprising a receptacle formed with two straight walls meeting at an angle, a radial partition, in said. receptacle, a shaft mounted for oscillation axially of said receptacle, a

fnving fixed to said'shaft and extending radially of, 'said receptacle, saidwing being movable, to approach or retreat from either sideof said partition,saidreceptacle adapted to, contain a fluid, means being prov ded for the variable passage of said fluid about said wing thus affording variable resistance to oscillation of said shaft, said shaft being vprovided with means for connection'to. one

of two relatively movable objects, said rek ceptaclebein'g adapted for mounting on the other of said objects by means of either of said straight walls, thus providing means for determining the direction in which resistance Will be created to movement of one .of saidobjects relatively to the other.

being provided from said main to the aux- I iliary chamber for passage of said fluid, means for connecting said shaft to one of two relatively movable objects, said casing being adapted to be mounted on the other of said objects by means of one or the other of said flanges.

Si ed at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, this 19th day of July, 1922.

PAUL R. ,FINGH. 

